The present invention relates to a portable medical equipment suite. More specifically, but without limitation, the present invention relates a portable medical equipment suite that can be deployed on helicopters and can be used on patients known or assumed to be in critical condition and require trauma treatment.
There are many rescue operations and evacuation operations, particularly in military situations, that are made by helicopter. People or military personnel with life threatening injuries that need immediate evacuation from the point of injury are typically evacuated by helicopter.
Studies show that nearly 70 percent of deaths resulting from injuries received in battle occur within the first hour. Battle experts state that the most critical time for treatment of a casualty is the first ten minutes after an injury occurs. Therefore, for optimum survivability an injury should be treated within 10 minutes of occurrence.
Currently the United States military utilizes three different medical equipment suite configurations in military rotary wing aircraft (e.g. helicopters). The first type of suite configuration is the fully integrated suite, such as the U.S. Army's UH-60Q aircraft. This suite configuration is integrated within the aircraft and includes the best possible equipment. The aircraft is very expensive and there are not enough UH-60Q deployed to be effective.
The second type of suite is the partially integrated suite that can be found on the U.S. Army's HH-60L. Some equipment is integrated into the aircraft while other equipment remains separate. In the partially integrated suite, there are problems with the stowage of gear and equipment and the survivability of the suite on the military battlefield.
The third type of medical equipment suite configuration is non-integrated medical equipment, which is equipment taken by medical personnel on board the aircraft. This equipment is usually not properly stowed and/or not adequately protected from potential damage.
Prior solutions that have been used or proposed are generally unsatisfactory. One solution included a stretcher bridge which holds instruments, and straddles a stretcher (the stretcher bridge bridges over the patient on a stretcher). In this solution, the equipment is exposed to the elements, requires an outside or external power supply and is not a fully self contained unit. Another solution includes a single enclosure mounted to the rear wall of an aircraft to provide a flight surgeon with a full range of intensive care equipment. However, this system is not portable and the aircraft needs to be specially equipped with the system.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a portable medical equipment suite that can be transported quickly in and out of different airframes and/or vehicles.